The Tennessee Titans aren't really known as an NFL organization willing to take on character risks, but as the need to reinvigorate the Titans brand and again bring excitement to the franchise burns in the mind of president and CEO Tommy Smith, risks must be taken and players who offer a larger upside and potentially elite-level production are needed on the field.
The addition of quarterback Marcus Mariota in the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft will go a long way toward injecting the next few Titans seasons with a renewed sense of promise and purpose - if he develops as expected, Tennessee could be on the verge of a whole new era of Titans football.
The addition of wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham at the top of the second-round, on the other hand, will presumably also add promise along with a hefty element of danger and concern.
"That's not a veteran-loaded team, they lack an offensive identity and DGB might not be the kind of receiver I want in Mariota's ear to start his career," writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. "I get why they took him, but they have to realize what they've bitten off here, and without too many big voices on that offense it's going to be interesting to see how he is policed inside the team facility and meeting rooms."
Green-Beckham was widely viewed as the biggest boom-or-bust prospect in the entirety of the 2015 NFL Draft. His measurables - 6-foot-5, 237-pounds, 4.49 40-yard-dash, 33-inch vertical - are off the charts, but seemingly so is his propensity to do things that are both illegal and ill-advised.
Green-Beckham's repeated transgressions, which included two marijuana arrests and charges he pushed a woman down the stairs during an argument, got him kicked off the Missouri football team and dropped the top-5 talent to the second-round of the draft.
Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt is a grizzled, no-nonsense leader who will do his best to keep Green-Beckham in line and while the presence of Mariota - one of the highest character players in the 2015 NFL Draft and, perhaps, the NFL as a whole - will ostensibly aid DGB in his efforts to assimilate into the league and the Titans family, questions remain about the receiver's character and ability to become a functioning professional football player.
From a football perspective, taking a player like a high-upside player like DGB makes ample sense for Tennessee, especially considering their almost complete lack of weapons on offense, but the question remains - will the Titans support network prove enough to help the enigmatic talent realize his immense potential and become the game-breaking player his skillset shows he can be? And, perhaps more importantly, will DGB's presense affect the growth and development of Mariota positively or negatively?
If nothing else, DGB's selection, along with Mariota, has already ensured increased national visibility for the Titans - whether the NFL viewing public winds up watching a train wreck a la Justin Blackmon or Josh Gordon or a high-flying All Pro like Randy Moss or Dez Bryant as he takes the league by storm, remains to be seen.
